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Old 02-09-2020, 02:13 PM   #31
Engel
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Default Re: Any Gardeners here?

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Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
Used hamster bedding should be fine. I know people use rabbit litter/bedding for that although to be fair rabbits do put out a significantly larger volume of poop than any hamster could even dream of!

I've considered loofah as a dog chew. The only products I've seen for dogs involving loofah however have an unknown origin and are dyed - both things being big concerns. There's also the uncertainty of whether or not it could potentially wear down canine teeth, since it obviously has great usage for pets who have constantly growing teeth and therefore benefit from things that wear their teeth down like loofah. However with dogs, wearing teeth down is ultimately very detrimental to their overall dental health and general health too - this is one of the reasons why tennis balls must never be used as a dog toy(or really a toy for any pet with all the risks considered).
About the loofah, yes it's hard when fully mature, perfect for sponges and rodent chews but what if you harvested it while it was a younger fruit? Should be softer so shouldn't wear the teeth down as much. Might help clean them too
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Old 02-09-2020, 02:41 PM   #32
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Default Re: Any Gardeners here?

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About the loofah, yes it's hard when fully mature, perfect for sponges and rodent chews but what if you harvested it while it was a younger fruit? Should be softer so shouldn't wear the teeth down as much. Might help clean them too
I'd always stick with things that are known to be safe for the dogs, and keep it age appropriate too(also consider sourcing, quality control, etc). Antlers for example make excellent chews when untreated and in their raw state, but they're at least somewhat risky for younger dogs.

There are safe chew options for dogs without resorting to loofah. I wouldn't even risk less mature loofah for them, since there's still the chance it could wear down teeth. There are a wide enough variety of all natural chew options for dogs including ones with dental benefits that I can't really justify that very serious risk!

This doesn't mean loofah is in any way harmful to rodents or other pets where loofah is actually appropriate. Loofah can be beneficial to hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, many birds, and even more pets. Dogs are not on that list nor do they need to be on that list. Wearing their teeth down is pretty serious and can eventually lead to potential irreparable damage that ends up requiring tooth removal - something we want to avoid at all costs for dogs since those teeth will never grow back!
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Old 02-09-2020, 04:58 PM   #33
Engel
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Default Re: Any Gardeners here?

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I'd always stick with things that are known to be safe for the dogs, and keep it age appropriate too(also consider sourcing, quality control, etc). Antlers for example make excellent chews when untreated and in their raw state, but they're at least somewhat risky for younger dogs.

There are safe chew options for dogs without resorting to loofah. I wouldn't even risk less mature loofah for them, since there's still the chance it could wear down teeth. There are a wide enough variety of all natural chew options for dogs including ones with dental benefits that I can't really justify that very serious risk!

This doesn't mean loofah is in any way harmful to rodents or other pets where loofah is actually appropriate. Loofah can be beneficial to hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, many birds, and even more pets. Dogs are not on that list nor do they need to be on that list. Wearing their teeth down is pretty serious and can eventually lead to potential irreparable damage that ends up requiring tooth removal - something we want to avoid at all costs for dogs since those teeth will never grow back!
True. Only reason I ask is my bichon has allergic skin disease and animal products are normally a no go.
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Old 02-09-2020, 07:50 PM   #34
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True. Only reason I ask is my bichon has allergic skin disease and animal products are normally a no go.
I know sweet potato is very popular for that purpose, so perhaps invest in a dehydrator and try out that if you can't get Sam's Yams in the UK.

Not sure if she'd be allergic to more exotic proteins like deer and elk for antler chew purposes, but I know the more exotic protein sources tend not to be as likely to trigger allergies as the proteins people feed far more often such as chicken or beef.

Back onto the gardening topic though, I think any gardening individual who grows food plants would benefit from a dehydrator. While they can be used for making high quality dog treats, they can also make really good things for humans! An even more ideal investment would be a freeze drier but those will get pretty expensive and aren't as easy to find so the typical casual gardener is better off with a dehydrator.
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Old 02-10-2020, 04:10 AM   #35
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Default Re: Any Gardeners here?

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I know sweet potato is very popular for that purpose, so perhaps invest in a dehydrator and try out that if you can't get Sam's Yams in the UK.

Not sure if she'd be allergic to more exotic proteins like deer and elk for antler chew purposes, but I know the more exotic protein sources tend not to be as likely to trigger allergies as the proteins people feed far more often such as chicken or beef.

Back onto the gardening topic though, I think any gardening individual who grows food plants would benefit from a dehydrator. While they can be used for making high quality dog treats, they can also make really good things for humans! An even more ideal investment would be a freeze drier but those will get pretty expensive and aren't as easy to find so the typical casual gardener is better off with a dehydrator.
I've tried sweet potato. I dehydrate in the oven, low heat for several hours. Beau's on a hydrolyzed diet at the moment. Starting to add things to figure out what triggers him and what doesn't. Kale and lettuce are ok, broccoli isn't. I be ordered some antlers for him to try and see how it goes.

I blanch most of mine or leave it in the ground until I need it but I guess people could try dehydrating too.
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Old 06-20-2020, 06:34 AM   #36
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Default Re: Any Gardeners here?

Thought I'd update this thread now warmer weather is upon us. Lots of things happening in the veggie patch. I've been a busy bee.

Planted just shy of 300 pea plants into the ground and they've started flowering and started another batch off in the green house.

Planted 40 runner beans and majority have come and bearing flowers. Also planted onions, squash, swede, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Did have some kale but planted out too early and the frost had it

Carrots, parsnips, lettuce, radish and celery are also coming up and I think I spy some strawberries too.

I've got 6 cucumber plants which are filling the greenhouse and gave one to a young boy down the road who asked for cucumbers last year. Also have 7/8 tomato plants which I've noticed have started flowering too

There's so much going on I don't know if I've missed anything!

(Note to self- need to plant beetroot).

Anyone planting peppers? (Sweet/bell peppers for salad, not chili) is it not it's year? Planted several batches from different packets and nothings happening?

Also have flowers so the borders are filling up nicely
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Old 06-20-2020, 08:01 AM   #37
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That sounds wonderful! Love the photos. I had planned to do more gardening and grow vegetables but life got very hectic here and I ended up with no time to do it. I did get a few veg seeds sown and they are growing - although haven't done much since and they need some dividing apparently.
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Old 06-20-2020, 09:15 AM   #38
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That sounds wonderful! Love the photos. I had planned to do more gardening and grow vegetables but life got very hectic here and I ended up with no time to do it. I did get a few veg seeds sown and they are growing - although haven't done much since and they need some dividing apparently.
Ah, what have you tried planting?
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Old 06-20-2020, 10:07 AM   #39
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Default Re: Any Gardeners here?

I didn't want to go to the store to pick out seeds this year so I just planted the seeds from some melons we had delivered. I am amazed at the number that germinated! Probably got them planted too late for anything to come of them but it will be fun to watch the vines take over!

I took a few herbs from my Dad's garden but as it happened they were transplanted the day before our temps spiked 10 degrees putting us in the 90's so they are very unhappy little plants right now. I think only the mint and thai basil will make it.
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Old 06-21-2020, 06:25 AM   #40
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Ah, what have you tried planting?
I planted a row of carrot seeds with a row of leek and onion seeds either side of the row of carrot seeds (apparently planting leeks next to carrots either side deters the carrot root fly!) I ran out of leek seeds so continued with onion seeds. I also planted some cabbage seeds and beetroot.

The carrots are growing and so are the leeks. Haven't seen much sign of the onions. There is one plant growing in the beetroot/cabbage end but it might be a weed!

I am now supposed to "thin" the carrot seedlings so there is only one plant every few inches. But I'm not looking forward to that as apparently once you "bruise" the foliage of the carrot plants it attracts the carrot root fly (which is a really awful pest apparently and can make the carrots go black). So you're supposed to try and "thin" them out by picking out the seedlings lower down below the foliage and burn the seedlings you remove! Wish I hadn't planted carrots now! Anyway they look ok at the moment but I haven't thinned them yet.

Apparently carrot root fly can be attracted by the smell for miles but they fly at very low level so if you have a perspex playpen type thing round the veg bed they can't get in. I am not that organised but I did let the grass grow very long round the edges of my small veg bed! Actually very long all over the garden as we don't have enough petrol for the strimmer and are still self isolating at home/shielding so not going out!

Will get the shears onto the grass soon and then have some garden fleece I was going to put over the top of the veg bed until the plants are a bit bigger and stronger. Partly to prevent birds and next door's cat wrecking it but might help keep the carrot root fly away as well.

I have two potato bags I intended to plant seed potatoes in but haven't got round to that yet - hope it isn't too late. That is supposed to be quite easy. Any bag will do. Even a bin bag- but these are stiff cloth bags. You put a few inches of compost - then the seed potatoes, then another layer of compose - and water them occasionally. As they're outside and it rains a lot here I'm not sure they will need watering!

If you don't have seed potatoes, apparently you can just use some potatoes you have already that have started to sprout!
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